In the world of cricket, sparks often fly both on and off the field. The recent exchange of words between former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi and ex-Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh has added a spicy twist to the ongoing cricketing narrative.
Days after Najam Sethi launched a tirade against the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) for not relocating the India-Pakistan Asia Cup Super-4 match from Colombo to Hambantota, he took to social media to express his concerns. Sethi questioned India’s reservations about playing the Green Army in Pakistan, citing rain forecasts as the reason for venue changes. His tweet stirred a storm on social media.
“BCCI/ACC informed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today that they had decided to shift the next India-Pak match from Colombo to Hambantota because of rain forecasts. They changed their mind within one hour and announced Colombo as the venue. What’s going on? Is India afraid to play and lose to Pakistan? Look at the rain forecast,” Sethi said on X (formerly known as Twitter) last week.
Harbhajan Singh, known for his on-field aggression and off-field honesty, didn’t take long to respond to Sethi’s accusations. The ex-Indian cricketer delivered a fitting retort in a video on his YouTube channel.
“I have a message for Najam Sethi. He had said that Team India is afraid of playing against Pakistan; I hope he saw the kind of performance that Team India put up, a record win,” Harbhajan said. India indeed handed Pakistan a crushing defeat, winning by a margin of 228 runs.
Record-time winners India thrashed Pakistan by 228 runs to register their biggest win over Babar’s men in the 50-over format. Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli and ex-vice-captain KL Rahul slammed match-winning centuries to help India post a gigantic total of 356-2 in 50 overs. After Kohli and Rahul demolished the Shaheen Shah Afridi-started bowling attack, spin wizard Kuldeep Yadav bagged a memorable five-wicket haul as Pakistan folded for 128 in 32 overs.
Harbhajan didn’t mince words in his assessment of Pakistan’s performance. “From Pakistan’s perspective, they got nothing out of this match except for getting tired. Bowling was too weak; even the state of the batting was the same, with very poor batting performance. No Pakistani batter showed that they could play against quality seam and swing bowling and score runs,” he added. It was a scathing review of Pakistan’s cricketing abilities on that day.
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The exchange between Najam Sethi and Harbhajan Singh serves as a reminder of the intense cricketing rivalry between India and Pakistan. While Sethi’s accusations sparked a debate, India’s commanding performance in the Asia Cup Super-4 match clearly stated their cricketing prowess. This episode reminds us that in cricket, as in life, actions often speak louder than words.
